If you're not afraid of a terrorist attack by militant Jihadists, you're a fool

[cali]

the attack could be minor, but the reaction by the government will be batshit insane. And Americans will go along with whatever in the name of security.

[villager]

1. It is the *overreaction* I'm afraid of

Exactly.

[hrmjustin]

2. i am afraid of the attack.

[Logical]

5. The government LOVES you! nt

[hrmjustin]

7. Well i am very lovable!

[Logical]

53. They want the public scared. Congrats. nt

[hrmjustin]

54. I am scared because i live in a target.

I never offered my support to a war. You assume too much.

[Logical]

55. What target? NYC? nt

[hrmjustin]

56. yes.n/t.

[Logical]

58. Thanks goodness 911 was a one time only plan. Would not work again. nt

[hrmjustin]

59. You don't know that. besides it does not have to be big like that.

[geek tragedy]

70. Yeah, only time ever terrorists targeted NYC.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_World_Trade_Center_bombing
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhiren_Barot

Barot was arrested on 3 August 2004.[2] He was charged by the UK authorities with the following offences:

Conspiracy to commit murder.
Conspiracy to commit a public nuisance by the use of radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals and or explosives.
Possessing detailed reconnaissance on the Prudential Building in New Jersey.
Possessing detailed reconnaissance of the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, the New York Stock Exchange and Citigroup in New York, and two notebooks with information on explosives.[14]
Barot admitted to plotting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund headquarters, and the World Bank, among other targets. In April 2007 it was revealed that he planned to use limousines packed with explosives and radioactive "dirty" bombs for the attacks.[15]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najibullah_Zazi

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_Shahzad

[Logical]

72. A lot of planning. No real action! And some of it two guys....

Talking out their asses.

They keep us worried!

Mass shooters have killed many more than any foreign terrorists in the USA!

[geek tragedy]

73. 1995 was more than planning.

And, yes, stopping it in the planning stage is why there is stuff like wiretapping.

[Logical]

75. Keep believing the wire tap keeps you safe.....

They love it!

[Jamastiene]

89. None of that stuff stopped the Boston Marathon bombing. n/t

[Logical]

76. Funny how this paragraph was ignored by you....

The prosecution did not dispute claims from the defence that no funding had been received for the projects, nor any vehicles or bomb-making materials acquired. Nevertheless, it was recognised that it was his intention that hundreds, if not thousands of people should die.

They make great headlines and keep people worried!

[hrmjustin]

77. People worry here in NYC because it is a real threat here.

[F4lconF16]

78. Though I don't live there

It's just not true that there's a high risk of getting killed by an attack. You're far more likely to be killed by a wide variety of more mundane things than you are to killed by a terrorist attack. Daily Kos puts the odds at about 20,000,000 to 1, while the high probability estimates from libertarian think tanks hover at their highest at about 1,700,000 to 1.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/14/1215687/-Odds-of-Dying-by-Terrorist-Attack-20-000-000-to-1
http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/06/how-scared-of-terrorism-should

There are so many more real things to be worried about. This is a completely unwarranted panic that will do nothing but feed the war machine.

[leftynyc]

82. Well, if daily kos says I have nothing to worry

about I guess that's it. Meanwhile New Yorkers will continue to live our lives while keeping an eye open - just the same way we do when a monster storm is coming, the same way I wear a seatbeat while in a car.

[hrmjustin]

97. I am not paniced but when I get on buses and trains it is in the back of my mine.

[leftynyc]

81. Late to this thread

but I'm assuming someone has already pointed out 9/11 was the second time the WTC was attacked. There are also many targets in New York that would be recognized around the world. I wouldn't say I'm afraid - I go to work every day and take the subway whenever warranted but I am cautious. I can't help but think those who pooh pooh terrorist attacks don't live in a place where they're likely.

[Hippo_Tron]

94. I live in one too, WAY more worried about car accidents

[In_The_Wind]

121. Yes, you are.

[hobbit709]

86. 35 times more likely to be killed by the police than a terrorist.

[hrmjustin]

98. That may be true but i think it is still an issue in NYC.

[stevenleser]

109. Yep, they love to go after NYC. :-(

[JaneyVee]

132. This NYC resident is with you.

Sometimes it's a bit frustrating and offensive the way people who live in Suburbia, Kansas try telling us who live in America's #1 target how to feel. I watched the 2nd plane smash the towers from my rooftop. The smell of burning human flesh. I lost 2 friends in those towers and 2 more in the wars that followed, plus one who died in 2012 from aggressive cancer after spending 5 months 24/7 down there in the fdny. We've learned to move on and not live in fear, but there's always that day we'll never forget in our heads.

[Logical]

3. I was ready to argue with you and then read your perfect point! The reaction is worse than....

the attack! Great post Cali!! nt

[gratuitous]

4. I'm not afraid of a terrorist attack

The reaction by the government is a separate issue, however. Although, as we've seen on any number of occasions, if the government doesn't have a convenient terrorist attack to crank up the wehrmacht, they'll fabricate or fashion one.

I thought I had monkey-wrenched that little feature of our government back in 2008, but it appears I was quite wrong.

[OilemFirchen]

14. Really?

What did you do? Super glue Herr Obama's sidearm to its holster?

[VanillaRhapsody]

25. LOL!

[geek tragedy]

71. Which terrorist attacks has the Obama administration fabricated? Nt

[jamzrockz]

6. They will also spare no expense

in their attempt to wipe out the threat even if said action is likely to worsen the problem and increase hardship for the people being "protected". We will do this because we are not afraid to make the wrong decision or to spend money we do not have. We will act because this is what American does.

Murica, hell yeah!!!

[Caretha]

32. Spot on Bro

& welcome to DU

[PeteSelman]

8. That's the bullshit they want you to believe.

And that I have refused to embrace from the Bush cabal and will continue to refuse when it comes from this group of jokers.

Sadly, I'll be one of the few.

You're absolutely right in how this stupid country would react.

And the home......of the......

[H2O Man]

9. Recommended.

I just posted an OP saying the same thing!

[Jackpine Radical]

37. Yes, absolutely.

[avebury]

10. I am far more afraid of the police

then I will ever be of a terrorist attack. The militarized police departments treat this country more like occupying forces then a force that is supposed to protect and serve. Every week you hear about reports of out of control cop(s) killing/injuring innocent people without incurring the consequences of their action.

[cali]

11. I think you missed the point of the OP

[avebury]

15. I don't think so. We already passed batshit crazy a while back as evidenced

by the passage of the Patriot Act, warrantless wiretaps, militarization of local police departments, the war on female reproductive rights, war on voting rights, and so on. The shoebomber won because we now have to take our shoes off going through airport screening. The 9-11 Hijackers already won because look at what the TSA and passenger screening has become.

People are foolish beyond belief to allow the authorities to get us to take our eyes off of what is already going on withing our own country when they start running around yelling "The Terrorists are coming, the Terrorists are coming."

[DustyJoe]

51. so so true

Terrorist islamic jihadists are in few places.

Feral police are EVERYWHERE, city, county, state, federal by the bucket loads, tons of alphabet agencies DHS, FBI, CIA, EPA, DOJ etc endless. Every federal agency (even NOAA weather dept has armed military style police departments and swat teams. DHS that gives me NO sense of my countrys security but seems more interested in poking their nose into citizens business. How many actual terrorists have these entities stopped BEFORE an attack ?. Not many.

I feel confident in a sparsely populated rural area in protecting myself from islamic terrorists, from my own countries security forces parading as citizen protectors and providors of justice, not so much.

[m-lekktor]

12. it took me a minute to get your point! a long day....

[Rhinodawg]

13. It has happened or its going to happen...

no, americans wont go "batshit insane".

I hope its no one you know.

[cali]

26. yeah,because we didn't entirely change the fabric of our society in the years following 9/11

[msanthrope]

16. Cali..this group did the PETN bomb attack, the BA bomb plot, and the

Christmas Underwear bomber.

Should we not take them seriously????

[Rhinodawg]

17. Nooooo...a few beheaded americans...who cares.

lets close our eyes to that possibility and

[noiretextatique]

20. far better to go and kill thousands, or hundreds of thousands

than to not avenge the death of a few. makes PERFECT sense to defense contractors.

[Rhinodawg]

21. As long as the "death of a few" isnt you...

or someone you know... then it gets a little complicated.

[Caretha]

34. I agree....damn those Civilians

damn their children! A few assholes do some stuff...them fucking civilians/children are gonna pay by gawd!

[DeadLetterOffice]

42. Emotionally, yes. Ethically, no.

[Vattel]

47. no, even if it is me, I don't want a military response with all of its costs.

[Rhinodawg]

19. Well, we have a young one in training.

Dutch Pupil Threatens Beheading of Jews

A 14-year-old Muslim pupil at De Spindel High School in Hengelo prepared a short film in which he expresses his sympathy for ISIS and threatens to behead Jews. The pupil has been suspended. The matter has since gone public and the parliamentarians Van Klaveren and Bontes, of the VN party, have put forward questions to the Minister of Security and Justice regarding this issue. They want to know what measures may be taken against the pupil and what will be done to fight the growing anti-Semitism among Muslim students.

http://tundratabloids.com/2014/09/netherlands-14-yr-old-muslim-boy-threatens-to-behead-jews.html


ignore it.

[GeorgeGist]

46. You missed the point.

[Fred Sanders]

18. Land of the brave, where exactly is this fabled land?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. You have a good point.

The chance of any individual in the U.S. being attacked, of course, is quite small. A chance of the U.S. being attacked is significantly greater.


That there hasn't been an attack since 9-11 suggests the gov't is doing a good job staving off attacks, imho.

[world wide wally]

23. There is a far greater chance of being struck by lightning or attacked by a shark than being killed

in a terrorist attack

[Louisiana1976]

35. Excellent point.

[IronLionZion]

45. What is the mathematical probability of

people panicking and agreeing to completely unreasonable policies out of irrational fear? Is there any chance that our government might ramp up the drumbeats for greater defense spending, no bid contracts, neglect the VA hospital system, let soldiers die senselessly, ignore most domestic issues, and allow punching of hippies as a therapeutic measure?

[world wide wally]

68. And that is the problem.... Us

[FlatStanley]

24. Haha! Well played.

[Thinkingabout]

27. The grandmother in Moore, OK probably never thought she would die in a terrorist

Attack. The military in Ft Hood probably thought they were safe on the base but were attacked. You can laugh all day long but terrorist attacks are happening. They may be small but the Boston Bombers was a terrorist attack. The Oklahoma City bomb was a terrorist attack. If it isn't happening to you or your loved ones be happy, that could change tomorrow.

[Rhinodawg]

28. You got guts.

I agree with you.

[Logical]

50. Where is the last one in the USA? Where are the terrorists actually? Where are the weekly.....

attacks? Bus bombs? Opening fire in a mall?

Where are the terrorists?

[Thinkingabout]

65. Did you read the post?

[leftynyc]

83. Do you mind me asking where you live

Would you at least admit that those that live in NYC or LA or Vegas (I pick those cities because they have targets that would be known around the world) have a higher chance of seeing a terror attack than those who live in say Kansas or Nebraska? You want to pretend it could never happen (again), knock yourself out but those of us in places that have already been proven to be targets cannot be so cavalier without looking like morons.

[IronLionZion]

87. Right behind you

They are everywhere. You don't know who they are or what they look like or what they'll do to you. People kill each other all the time.

[840high]

60. Agree.

[BrotherIvan]

85. Um...those were all *domestic* terrorists

So now we go bomb another country whenever a domestic rwnj goes on a rampage?

[Thinkingabout]

99. Domestic? The guy in Moore, Oklahoma was trying to convert his co-workers to Islam before he was

fired, I don't think we can over look the possibility of American citizens returning to the US who have been trained by ISIS who would not attack in some form. Do you know where these citizens are training? Oh, yes, the training sites are being bombed. I don't know if you can claim the Ft Hood shooter was a rwnj, he was tied with some of the terrorist groups by internet. He was also serving in our military.

[CJCRANE]

101. The Internet is the danger. That's where they get their ideas from.

They don't need to go anywhere.

[Jamastiene]

112. They get their ideas from their own heads first.

With or without the internet, there have always been sadistic fuckers in this world who want to harm others in the most unimaginable (or so we thought) ways.

[Jamastiene]

111. Still domestic though.

What do you want the US government to do, start bombing mosques in America? Don't be ridiculous.

[Thinkingabout]

127. Have I ever indicated we should start bombing mosques in America. Many are telling the radicals

the terror is not a part of Islam. I don't have a problem with Islam, I have a problem with radicals.

[avebury]

117. Statistically there is a greater chance that a person or his/her pet

might be shot/strangled/tazed/killed by a police officer then be the victim of a terrorist attack in the US.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/14/police-killings-data/14060357/

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/police-shootings-michael-brown-ferguson-black-men

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/09/08/how-many-police-shootings-a-year-no-one-knows/

http://jimfishertruecrime.blogspot.com/2012/01/police-involved-shootings-2011-annual.html

http://www.denverpost.com/timtebow/ci_26625153/cu-boulder-police-use-taser-shoplifting-suspect-say

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/09/portland_jury_awards_to_man_be.html

http://jobs.aol.com/videos/what-its-like/must-see-police-use-taser-on-pregnant-woman/517734827/

http://www.mintpressnews.com/cop-slams-pregnant-woman-to-the-ground-and-uses-taser-on-her-belly/196929/



http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95475
Man Dies in Police Raid on Wrong House

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/staten-island-man-dies-puts-choke-hold-article-1.1871486

http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/25/horror-cops-tackle-beat-pepper-spray-pin-suffocate-kill-innocent-man/


http://www.policestateusa.com/2013/police-kill-80-year-old-man-in-his-bed-after-claiming-his-house-smelled-like-meth/

http://www.innocentdown.org/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/lapd-accused-shooting-man-special-complying-orders-article-1.1902035


http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-wrong-address-killed-innocent-man-charged/

Family Wins Record $10 Million Dollars When Cop Slams Innocent Man Causing Coma!

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.copblock.org%2F4308%2Fcop-who-paralyzed-man-for-life-continues-to-be-violent%2F&ei=h-oqVO6sNJOzyASS8YKwBg&usg=AFQjCNEUeVQQyA0Pb4LYXi15A0BNOAAdag&sig2=A9Vcbw-isWcme0_fWvezHA

Police Brutality Leaves Man Mentally Disabled

Cop Tackles The Wrong Guy And Leaves Him Paralyzed!


http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/us/south-dakota-taser-lawsuit/index.html
Using a Taser on an 8-year-old? Mom sues police, city

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-berates-cops-dog-shot-dead-fenced-in-backyard-article-1.1845699

[Thinkingabout]

125. This does not negate the facts of acts of terrorism by radical groups, Tim McVeigh was a part of a

radical group, many died because of his actions. We are supposed to be a part of a civilized nation.

[philosslayer]

123. Those weren't terrorist attacks.

According to the FBI and the Department of Justice. By your logic every time someone commits an act of workplace violence its a terrorist attack. Wrong.

[Thinkingabout]

126. Do you know the facts in the Moore, Okla case?

[philosslayer]

128. Well the FBI and the DOJ know more than either you or I

And they haven't characterized it as a terrorist attack.

[Thinkingabout]

129. They may never characterized this as terrorist but the facts are the guy who beheaded the

grandmother had been trying to convert his co workers to Islam, he was terminated and came back to behead this grandmother, this is terrorism in my book.

[philosslayer]

130. So let's change this scenario...

Lets say he had been trying to convert his co workers to Christianity. Or Buddhism. Or was a Jehovah's Witness. Then for some reason lost his job, came back, and shot the grandmother. Would THAT be terrorism?

There was a guy who lost his job at a UPS facility a few weeks ago, and came back and shot a few people. Is THAT terrorism?

[Thinkingabout]

135. Yes, it does not matter what religion he was pushing.

ter·ror·ism (tr-rzm)
n.
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

Threatening those attempting to enter an abortion clinic is terrorism.

[philosslayer]

139. "with the intention of intimidation or coercing societies or governments"

What I described were individual actions against individuals. There is no indication whatsoever that there was an attempt to coerce societies or governments. So your definition underscores my point. Workplace violence. Not terrorism.

[Thinkingabout]

141. You may not view it as terror but for myself if I was intimidated by someone or something i

would feel terror, maybe you don't I can speak for myself, If someone was holding a knife to my throat, I would feel terror, if I was being attacked by another I would feel terror, if I went to work in a building and someone or something blew the building up, I would feel terror.

Why did you leave out this portion of the definition

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property

So you think a person can be intimidated?

[philosslayer]

142. By your definition...

Any action where someone feels "terror" is terrorism. Chasing a woman down the street would be terrorism. Jumping out and scaring a little kid would be terrorism. In fact, virtually any violent crime would be terrorism, since during the commission of any violent crime, someone is very very scared. Sorry, they aren't the same thing.

[Thinkingabout]

143. Yes violent crimes are terror, I will continue to hold violence is terror, to scare or intimidate

others, yes it is terrorism. I will continue with my opinion.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

29. I do not fear for my personal safety from terrorists, by do fear you are correct

about and attack and over reaction

[rustydog]

30. We already have been: Oklahoma city , the olympics, remember?

Abortion clinic bombings? Abortion provider murders?

It doesn't have to be Muslim fundamentalists, it is red-blooded Amurikans who've been killing and will continue to kill.
ISIS isn't as big a threat as people in your own town today.

But the news media wants you to be very afraid. Watch what the Republican campaigning will be:
Reminiscent of the Bush campaigns: Republicans are tough on terror, Democrat party, not so much...Be very AFRAID, we need the terror color code again! It worked great when we used it just before elections!

[n2doc]

31. And of course our Government (and Media) does nothing but incite such over-reaction

Instead of trying to calm our fears, they stoke them, so that if anything does happen people will think it is the end of civilization.

[salib]

33. I am fed up with the blackmail being practiced.

First it was that we need to go to war (give me your billions or...) otherwise there will be an attack on the country. Now that it has proved to not be enough for some (we are not really buying much of any of this type of stuff if we can help it), now we are threatened with what would happen for any size attack (give me this millions asshole or just imagine what you, your neighbors your Govt will do to you if anything even minor happens).

I seem to recall that tHe thing to fear is fear itself. Are you saying in the OP that we are supposed to fear ourselves and each other in our reaction?

People, you are being played, and in no way to your advantage.

Again, we should take this money and solve some of our own problems and share some of that wealth around the world. Enough of this bogeyman blackmail.

[heaven05]

36. it's the last sentence

that scares the hell out of me.

[99th_Monkey]

38. Not afraid of an attack per se. but I AM afraid of the US/M$M over-reaction ~nt~

[larkrake]

39. I am more afraid of american terrorists

[Jamastiene]

114. It still irks me that our government refuses to call the Timothy McVeigh/Eric Rudolph

types terrorists, because they were/are.

[blkmusclmachine]

40. The Feds don't need another "terra attack." They got rid of every law they didn't like after 9/11.

Remember what Naomi Klein warned us about in her book The Shock Doctrine.

[Terra Alta]

41. I'm not afraid of a terrorist attack.

I'm more afraid of what could happen if Republicans win the White House and Congress in 2016. That is more likely to happen than any terrorist attack.

[bvf]

43. I get your point

But, to the extent that there is always another Gulf of Tonkin right around the corner, I'll spend as much time worrying about getting hit by a bus or getting struck by lightning.

We live among enough fools to know what the reaction would be to even the flimsiest hint of such a thing.

Coming up: Patriot Act II, with full public support.

[IronLionZion]

44. What if the militant jihadists use guns?

Then what?

That's a serious question.

This is semi-serious: what if they wreck our economy and infrastructure and destroy the lives of millions of Americans through financial means?

[Jamastiene]

115. Our own government is doing what your semi-serious question asks.

Terrorists don't have to do that, because our own government is doing that to us quite efficiently already.

[IronLionZion]

124. My point exactly

and we can easily devolve into lunacy as certain elements of our population tend to do. Its harder to blame foreigners for some of our domestic issues.

As a country we still haven't agreed to call mass shootings as terrorism for some reason. And many still haven't recovered from the economic terrorism on wall st and the subprime mortgage crisis.

[niyad]

48. as long as you are referring to the reichwingnutjobs masquearading as the xian fundamentalists.

[kwassa]

49. If you are not afraid of ISIS, you are truly a fool. About 3,000 Americans died on 9/11 ....

at the hands of Al Queda, who are rank amateurs by comparison. Al Queda never took large amounts of territory, and held it. Al Queda was never as brutal or lethal as ISIS. Al Queda never had the military prowess of ISIS.

This is not about a few beheaded Westerners. This is about the potential for terrorism like we've never seen it before. It is about thousands of murdered Iraqis and Syrians, who have already died, and many thousands more than will die in a bloodbath if we don't step in. It is about entire ethnic groups destroyed in that part of the world.

It is about a government that we are responsible for creating that has completely failed.

[Logical]

52. 911 could never happen again. Never. It was a one time shot. Where are the USA based....

terrorists? Where? They ARE NOT here.

[kwassa]

57. You forgot your sarcasm tag.

Either that, or ....

I don't wish to speculate.

The genius of Al Queda is that they were innovators. They created totally new methods of terrorism that could work exactly once, at which point counter methods would prevent a replay. That does not mean that new and innovative terrorism could not be created.

ISIS has shown an ability to attract potential recruits from Muslim believers in Western nations. Those Muslims can return and be completely invisible in their home cultures, making them perfect terrorists..

[840high]

61. Good point.

[Logical]

62. I ask this yearly......

WHERE ARE THE TERROR ATTACKS?

A car bomb. Train derailing? Opening fire weekly into a NFL crowd? Sandy Hook a month?

10 terrorists shooting up a sporting event weekly would terrorize this country.

A Boston type pressure bomb in an crowded waiting line in a major airport monthly?

There are no one here willing to do it. Where are they?

[kwassa]

64. At least 45 potential terrorist attacks have been thwarted by our security forces.

Here is a three-year old article on the subject.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/08/9-11-anniversary-45-terror-plots-foiled-in-last-10-years.html

T
09.08.11
Forty-Five Foiled Terror Plots Since 9/11
As counterterrorism officials investigate a new 'credible' terror threat, records show there have been at least 45 jihadist terrorist-attack plots against Americans since 9/11—thwarted by intelligence work, policing, and citizen involvement. John Avlon reports.

As news of a new “credible” threat swept across the nation on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Americans were abruptly reminded that terrorism is always one bad day away from being issue No. 1.

In the latest case, one report said at least three people—one believed to be a U.S. citizen—entered the U.S. in August to plan a car-bomb attack against Washington, D.C., or New York. The suspected terrorists are thought to have come from Afghanistan or Pakistan, and at least two rental trucks are being sought nationwide. White House officials confirmed that President Obama had been briefed on the "specific" terrorism threat.

Too often, 10 years after the worst terrorist attacks in our nation’s history, we sometimes fall into a false sense of security as a degree of 9/11 amnesia takes hold; a desire to recast the attacks as a tragic isolated incident.

The facts tell a very different story. The record shows that there have been at least 45 jihadist terrorist attacks plotted against Americans since 9/11—each of them thwarted by a combination of intelligence work, policing and citizen participation.

And these are just the plotted attacks that we know about through public documentation—the real number of credible plots is no doubt much higher. No truly authoritative list exists because of the preponderance of classified information, although organizations such as the Heritage Foundation have published detailed lists in the past. An additional problem in coming up with a comprehensive list lies in consistently defining the parameters of thwarted attacks. The plots also are of varying degrees of seriousness, from some that were days from causing mass bloodshed to others that were twisted ambitions caught well before fruition.

The list published below comes as close as I could, using public sources and past lists—and it was reviewed by both government and academic organizations that track terrorist attacks.

Since 9/11, there have been devastating terror attacks in cities like London and Madrid. But America has so far batted 1,000 against the constant stream of civilian-targeted terror threats, though trends show the types of plots are changing to an increase of military targets (think the deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood by Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan) and Americans’ training overseas for the purpose of terrorism.

Professor Erik Dahl of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and the START program at the University of Maryland has compiled the most detailed list of attempted terrorists attacks to date, spanning a period of 25 years, in his paper “The Plots That Failed: Intelligence Lessons Learned From Unsuccessful Terrorist Attacks Against the United States,” recently published in the academic journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.

“Everyone in American national security is amazed that we haven’t had another 9/11 within America since 9/11. A lot of credit has to go to both the Bush and now the Obama administrations for keeping the country a lot safer than anybody expected. That’s the good news,” Dahl tells me. “But the bad news is that we do see this continuing, steady drumbeat of smaller-scale plots and attempted terrorist attacks. So the threat is definitely not gone.”

And what does Dahl believe has most accounted for the extraordinary Homeland Security record of success to date? “When it comes to domestic attacks and securing the homeland, what works is really good, old-fashioned policing—law enforcement, tips from the public, police informants—and not so much spies overseas or satellites run by three-letter government agencies.”

Interestingly, while compiling his list, Dahl found that “about 75 percent of the plots are associated with radical Islamists and about 25 percent are from right-wing domestic, anti-government militia movements.” But for the purposes of marking the 9/11 anniversary, this list focuses solely on the Islamist terrorist plots against Americans at home or on military bases outside war zones overseas.

An additional point of consideration is the cooperation that Muslim Americans have given to police that has helped stop many terrorist plots to date. “Local law enforcement and FBI officials have very good relations with the mainstream Muslim communities in various parts of America,” attests Dahl.

In the absence of another major terrorist attack on U.S. soil, it can be too easy to ignore the heroic efforts that have saved countless American lives over the past decade we have been at war.

It can also be easy to ignore the trends that have emerged, even after the welcome death of Osama bin Laden and the Obama administration’s successful escalation against al Qaeda. “We’re seeing more of an effort to attack U.S. military targets within the U.S., such as the Fort Hood shooting,” Dahl says. “These domestic lone-wolf attacks are not likely to be able to cause the amount of damage that a carefully planned and executed international plot, such as an al Qaeda plot, can do. But they can kill a lot of people.”

We now know that Osama bin Laden had long hoped for a 10th anniversary attack; and the threat of a lone wolf attack may be at the heart of this latest credible threat officials are investigating. But America’s first line of defense will be especially vigilant on this anniversary of the day when Islamist terrorists declared war on the U.S.

Looking to the future, Dahl sees a need to remain focused on the threats we face, while working to achieve the right balance “between reporting on things, the ‘see something-say something’ approach on the one hand, and respecting civil liberties and the rights of individuals to go about their daily lives. We still haven’t figured out just where that balance is in America.” But in our democratic republic’s response to 9/11 and subsequent civic debates we come ever closer to finding the right balance.

The bad news is that we see this continuing, steady drumbeat of smaller-scale plots and attempted terrorist attacks.

After the attacks of 9/11, we swore that we would never forget. And so, among the memorials on this 10th anniversary that honors the victims and heroes we lost, it is also appropriate to remind ourselves of the need to remain vigilant. We honor the dead from that day by resolving to do all we can to stop future 9/11s.

First responders have a saying: “Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.” The civic resilience of the United States in the wake of the attacks of 9/11 is a testament to the power that free people have to overcome the forces of fear. We have been both lucky and good, and—as this rogues’ gallery of foiled terrorist plots reminds us—we all owe the broader counterterrorism community our thanks. America is the land of the free because we are the home of the brave.

1. Richard Reid
December 2001

Shoe bomber.

2. ‘Library Tower’ Plot
February 2002

Plot to attempt a second 9/11-style aerial attack to topple the tallest building in Los Angeles.

3. José Padilla
May 2002

Accused of meeting with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a dirty bomb plot. Sentenced to 17 years in 2008.

4. Earnest James Ujaama
July 2002

Seattle-based terror cell plotted to support the Taliban.

5. U.S. Forces in Germany
September 2002

A man and a woman of Turkish heritage—the man born in Germany—are arrested for plotting to blow up U.S. Army headquarters in Germany.

6. Lackawanna Cell
September 2002

Six Yemeni-Americans are accused of conspiring to help al Qaeda and plead guilty.

7. Oregon Taliban plot
October 2002

Seven Oregonians arrested in plot to join the Taliban and wage war against the United States.

8. Al Qaeda Gas Attack Plot on NYC Subways
Spring 2003

Reported by Ron Suskind in The One Percent Doctrine.

9. Iyman Farris
May 2003

Plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge.

10. Virginia Jihad Network
June 2003

Virginia group trained for apparent urban warfare missions, including training in Afghanistan.

11. Nuradin M. Abdi
November 2003

Plotted to bomb a Columbus, Ohio, shopping mall.

12. Dhiren Barot
August 2004

Plotted to bomb locations in New York, Newark, and Washington.

13. James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj
August 2004

Plotted to bomb train station near Madison Square Garden in bid to disrupt the Republican National Convention.

14. Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson, Hammad Riaz Samana, and Kevin James
August 2005

Arrested for conspiring to attack National Guard facilities and synagogues around Los Angeles.

15. Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Zand Wassim Mazlou
February 2006

Convicted in 2008 (PDF) of conspiring to commit terrorism against Americans overseas.

16. Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee
April 2006

Gathered surveillance and met with other terrorists about targets in Washington, D.C.

17. Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augustine
June 2006

Plotted to blow up Sears Tower.

18. Assem Hammoud
July 2006

Plotted to attack PATH trains between New York and New Jersey.

19. Jetliner bombing plot
August 2006

Twenty-four suspects arrested for plotting to blow up 10 U.S. jetliners with liquid explosives. This plot led to the regulation of liquids on planes.

20. Houston Taliban
November 2006

Kobie Diallo Williams and four other men are charged with conspiring to support the Taliban after training in Texas.

21. Derrick Shareef
December 2006

Planned to set off grenades at a shopping mall near Chicago.

22. Fort Dix Plot
May 2007

The “Fort Dix Six” plotted to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey.

23. JFK Airport
June 2007

Four men plotted to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at JFK Airport in New York.

24. Ramstein Air Base, Germany
September 2007

German converts to Islam, plotting under the cover of the Islamic Jihad Union, are found to have explosives and plan to target one of the largest U.S. air bases in Europe.

25. Columbus, Ohio
June 2008

Christopher Paul aka Abdul Malek, aka Paul Kenyatta Laws

Pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to blow up targets in the U.S. and Europe.

26. NYC Subway Bombing
Sept. 14, 2009

Najibullah Zazi and three other men are caught days before they detonate explosives in the New York City subway.

27. Long Island Rail Road Threat
November 2008

American Bryant Neal Vinas gives al Qaeda leaders information to attack the LIRR.

28. Springfield, Illinois Courthouse Bomb Plot
Sept. 24, 2009

Michael Finton

Arrested in plot to detonate a vehicle bomb outside a courthouse and kill federal employees.

29. Dallas Tower Plot
Sept. 24, 2009

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi

A Jordanian man is arrested in connection with a plot to bomb at a skyscraper in Dallas.

30. Quantico, VA
Sept. 24, 2009

Daniel Patrick Boyd

A group of men are charged in plot to attack the Marine Corps base in Quantico.

31. Boston
October 2009

Tarek Mehanna and Ahmad Abousamra

Two men are arrested on wide-ranging charges, including conspiracy to kill U.S. politicians, spanning the past decade.

32. Northern Virginia
December 2009

Five men from northern Virginia are arrested in Pakistan and charged with supporting al Qaeda. Were reported missing by their families.

33. Detroit Airspace
Christmas Day Bomber, 2009

A man tries to detonate an explosive on a flight over Detroit. Also known as the underwear bomber.

34. Chicago
March 2010

Raja Lahrasib Khan

Man is arrested for funneling money (PDF) to terrorist organizations.

35. Times Square, New York City
May 1, 2010

Faisal Shahzad

Failed attempt to detonate a vehicle bomb in Times Square.

36. King Salmon, Alaska
July/August, 2010

Paul G. Rockwood, Jr. and Nadia Piroska Maria Rockwood

A husband and wife compile a list of 20 targets to murder, including military and media figures, arrested as they were set to move into the operational phase.

37. Wrigley Field, Chicago
Sept. 20, 2010

A man is arrested after planting a fake bomb outside Wrigley Field.

38. Air-Cargo Bomb Yemen to Chicago
October 2010

Twin packages of explosives were shipped from Yemen to synagogues in Chicago.

39. Washington, D.C.
October 2010

Farooque Ahmed

Ahmed is arrested in connection with a plot to blow up the D.C. Metro.

40. Portland, Oregon
Nov. 26, 2010

Mohamed Osman Mohamud

A Christmas-tree lighting is targeted by a 19-year-old Somali man, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, busted in an FBI sting operation.

41. Catonsville, Md.
Dec. 8, 2010

Antonio Martinez

Man arrested for plotting to blow up a U.S. Army recruiting center.

42. Lubbock, Texas/National
Feb. 23, 2011

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari

Man arrested in bomb plot against military and political targets, including former President George W. Bush, in New York, Colorado, and California.

43. New York City
May 11, 2011

Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh

Two men arrested in plot to attack a Manhattan synagogue.

44. Seattle, Wash.
June 22, 2011 (arrest date)

Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, aka Joseph Anthony Davis, and Walli Mujahidh

Two men are arrested in a plot to attack a military recruiting station in Seattle.

45. Fort Hood, Texas
July 27, 2011 (arrest date)

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo

A former army private is arrested in a plot to copycat attack at Fort Hood.

They've done well in Europe in the time since 9/11

November, 2003 – The first major strike after 9/11 occurs in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Four truck bombs were explode on the 15th and 20th, the first two at synagogues and the others at the British Consulate and HSBC’s headquarters in Turkey. The total death toll is 57 people and 700 wounded. Directly linked to al-Qaeda, some of the 74 people charged by the Turkish authorities had met with Osama bin Laden, asking for al-Qaeda’s blessing help.

March 11, 2004 – A similar, more deadly tragedy hits Madrid in Spain. A series of near-simultaneous explosions tear through trains carrying morning commuters in Madrid. Killing 191 people and injuring 1,800, the bombings are the worst terrorist attack to have hit Europe. The perpetrators claimed they were inspired by the work of al-Qaeda.

July 7, 2005 – Britain is also scarred by a major terrorist attack upon its soil. Four suicide bombers, three of them born in West Yorkshire, carry out a devastating strike on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus in central London. The lives of 56 people are snatched away, and nearly 700 people are wounded. Two weeks later four other bombings are attempted, again targeting London’s public transport system. Fortunately, the detonators fail to ignite the explosives and there are no casualties.

August, 2006 – British police foil a terrorist plot to explode at least ten trans-Atlantic aeroplanes carrying passengers to North America. Three men are later found guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The arrest and conviction took more than a year of surveillance by hundreds of MI5 and police officers, and the frustrated attack was directly linked to al-Qaeda.

June 29, 2007 – Britain’s police forces again successfully thwart a planned terrorist bombing, when two cars carrying bombs are discovered and the explosives disabled.

June 30, 2007 - Two men drive a car loaded with propane canisters into the terminal of Glasgow International Airport and set it ablaze. Apprehended by authorities, the only fatality is one of the perpetrators, killed by his severe burns. The incidents in London and Glasgow were carried out by the same men.

September, 2010 – Authorities announce they have uncovered and managed to thwart another al-Qaeda threat to the UK, France and Germany, which aimed to co-ordinate attacks upon the countries.

March, 2012 – In the Toulouse region of France, a jihadist gunman shoots dead three soldiers and severely injures another before making his getaway on a scooter. On March 20, he opens fire on adults and children gathered outside a Jewish school in Toulouse, killing Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, his sons Arieh, 5, and Gabriel, 4, and seven-year-old Miriam Monsonego.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/9157929/Al-Qaeda-attacks-in-Europe-since-September-11.html

[Logical]

67. Many of those had zero chance of actually happening! And I do...

Not believe all of the news releases. If you do fine!

[F4lconF16]

79. Not to mention some of those are suspect.

I'm still not convinced that the Portland Tree Bomber case wasn't entrapment.

[kwassa]

95. Whatever. Your premise that there is no threat is false, though.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

74. Then there's the guy who wanted to kill liberals so he shot up a Unitarian church in Knoxville.

Said that liberals were destroying the country.
I think he killed two people and wounded a few others before they tackled him and stopped him.

That's domestic terrorism. And yet the Tea Party folks get mad when the Southern Poverty Law Center and the FBI investigate their terroristic threats and calls for secession.

[kwassa]

96. It is all terrorism, regardless of the source.

[leftynyc]

84. And those towers were certainly

the only targets NY has to worry about. It's not like someone could plant a bomb or something else that could kill dozens or hundreds during a marathon or something. HOw about in the middle of Rockefeller Center when there are thousands gaping at a Christmas Tree - or any sporting event at Madison Square Garden or on a crowded rush hour subway. Because terrorists ONLY use airplanes and ONLY had two buildings to target in NY. Right?

[kwassa]

104. and the World Trade Center was attacked twice .... most forget the first attack.

The truck bomb in the garage.

[leftynyc]

107. I pointed that out in another post

It must be that the only ones who pooh pooh any concern about terrorism live in a place it's unlikely to happen. It's not like we all freaked out and changed our lives but we are more cautious and don't ignore the FACT that there are those who wish to cause chaos and fear. I mostly ignore them and chalk it up to them not living anywhere near anything that could be a target.

[Major Hogwash]

145. The one in 1993.

Is that the one you're referring to?

[Hippo_Tron]

91. Ten times that amount of people die from car accidents in the US every year

If we reacted to terrorism based on the actual damage it does, rather than the psychological damage, nobody would ever bother with it because it wouldn't be effective.

[kwassa]

106. Until the terrorists smuggle in the nuclear device ...

or poison an urban water supply.

Basing your response on what has happened versus what could happen is stupidity.

3,000 dead in one incident is pretty deadly.

[Hippo_Tron]

134. Basing your response on 24 and Tom Clancy novel scenarios is stupidity

[kwassa]

140. If I had based my response on that, it would be stupidity.

But I don't, and I find your response, frankly, in my personal opinion, stupid.

[CJCRANE]

102. Have you read the full 9/11 Report?

[kwassa]

105. No. Have you?

Tell me about it.

[CJCRANE]

122. No, because it hasn't been released.

[kwassa]

133. and your point is?

[CJCRANE]

144. We don't even know the full story

behind the event that kicked off this era of fighting wars of choice, wasting trillions and giving away our freedoms and yet we are doing the same thing all over again.

[Romulox]

63. Almost as it the former works toward the ends of the latter...hmmm. nt

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

66. Call me a fool then............

How much more batshit insane can we get then invading another country and throwing hundreds of 'suspected' terrorists into jail where they remain, uncharged and untried 10 years later?

[LeftyMom]

69. I can do math. I'm afraid of car accidents and cancer.

I'm less likely to be killed by terrorists than by a falling telivision set. So are you.

Perspective. It's useful.

[F4lconF16]

80. +1

Boom, science. World peace one statistic at a time.

[Jamastiene]

88. There is a difference between being afraid and

Last edited Tue Sep 30, 2014, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

being so jumpy, cowering all of the time, and being way too willing to give up basic rights.

[mikehiggins]

90. I used to live in New York City Everything there was dark and dirty...

Well, not really, no matter what the Mama's and Poppa's wrote. There are lots of wonderful things in the City but me and my family can't be counted among them anymore. I spent most of my life in NYS and forty years or so in NYC but enough is enough. I helped build the WTC and I worked on the rubble when it came down. I'm happy to mention to people that the worst terrorist attack in American history took place during the George Bush administration, despite them having many warnings OBL really, really wanted to attack the USA. That being said, there is really no reason to be afraid of another terror attack in NYC as opposed to ANY other place in this nation. Look what one guy supposedly just did in Chicago.

So, yeah, its foolish not to be concerned about terrorism in the USA ( I absolutely refuse to refer to this nation as the "homeland", like we were a bunch of Nazis or something ) but the only way to be confident "it won't happen here" is by not being "there". This nation is widely vulnerable and there is really no way to change that. Think about what people are saying by shopping in the Mall of America (in Minnesota ?). I was there about two months after 9/11 and it was crowded with Xmas shoppers. What a perfect place for terrorism. Still is. Should we stop shopping, stop our lives, stop sending our kids to school?

More kids have been killed by lone wolf psychos since 9/11 than by Al Quida or ISIS. We haven't been willing to accept the need to limit access to guns in the face of Columbine and the rest. How can we ever think we can be safe from terrorism from overseas? Still, if you want to live in a major American city you just have to shrug your shoulders and take the risk.

Me, I find Taos just fine.

So, yeah, be concerned about ISIS or whatever but keep this in mind: when I was a young boy I was afraid that Godzilla was going to come get me. Later on I realized that since I was living in NYC at the time the odds were I wasn't going to get squashed by a 90 meter lizard. Today our government would have us believe Godzilla is right around the corner. It ain't so.

The real danger is how far the Lindsey Grahams and John McCain's are willing to go to keep us safe, and what it will cost us if we let them get away with it.

Just my point of view, of course. I could be wrong.

[Jamastiene]

110. Great post.

We can't live on our knees. How free will we be if all we do is stay super paranoid and fail to live our lives? Not very.

[Mr Dixon]

92. IMO

Scared people are the easiest people to control I'm sure the plans are already in motion look for the The patriot act X 3, 8000 thousand pages all your right suspended effective immediately.

[LWolf]

93. That seems more like

fear of reaction than fear of Jihadists.

It's definitely a clear and present danger.

[bobclark86]

100. Nope, not personally afraid.

Live in the middle of nowhere and rarely fly.

(Minute 1:10 is the start, but 1:40 is what is calling me)

Tell you the truth, I'm far more afraid of a RWNJ shooting up a police station. Or somebody escaping prison and shooting when he's surrounded. Because those things actually happen here.

[cali]

113. you (and many others on this thread) confirm my suspicion that

lots of people comment on ops they haven't read.

[bobclark86]

119. Oh, I read it...

I yawned. You noticed the bit when I said I don't fly, right (you know, the only place the majority of Americans noticed anything after 9/11)? Oh, wait. I don't think you read it...

[L0oniX]

103. ...and the home ...of ...the ...brave.

Where's that? Well ...we're gonna kill em over there before they kill us over here = Bush or Obama ...what's the difference. Mean while texting drivers are killing us all ...and cut backs on SNAP to fund the bombs will cause more children to go hungry. Threat? Well that certainly is subjective to ones experience in everyday life.

[JEB]

108. The over reaction is why they do it.

We are easily baited into wasting our resources and making lots more enemies. Bingo, terrorism works.

[mnhtnbb]

116. Hubby and I were just talking about this at lunch. He's more afraid of ebola.

[abakan]

118. To live in fear is wasting your life.

While you are spending your time scared that the governments latest bogie man will come and get you, you could be living your life. Enjoying your family and making sure they are happy. Life was what we were given, immortality was never part of the bargain.

Those who're not busy living, are busy dying. Bob Dylan

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

120. Kinda like burning down the forest to rid it of toadstools.

Actually, being killed by a poison mushroom is probably far more likely than being beheaded by a Jihadist.

[snappyturtle]

131. I don't know who I'm more afraid of, the jihadists or the ignorant public who

only listen to sound bites and cape themsselves with the fear propaganda. What an opportunity for the gov't. in all of this: potential "attacks" and ebola....whatever...hang on, I see more civil liberties evaporating. imho

[MadrasT]

136. Government reaction would be problematic.

I am not going along with shit.

[dflprincess]

137. I'm still waiting for the Soviets to drop the bomb

surely all the time I spent under my desk in elementary school wasn't for nothing. I just don't have time to worry about any new "could happens".

[RedCappedBandit]

138. I am concerned about our potential response. But I do not fear an attack. nt